diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/navigation/bottombars/KeyboardState.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/navigation/bottombars/KeyboardState.kt
index 68e9ba6c66..1457927832 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/navigation/bottombars/KeyboardState.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/navigation/bottombars/KeyboardState.kt
@@ -20,52 +20,67 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.bottombars
 
-import android.graphics.Rect
-import android.view.View
-import android.view.ViewTreeObserver
+import androidx.activity.compose.BackHandler
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.WindowInsets
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.ime
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
-import androidx.compose.runtime.DisposableEffect
 import androidx.compose.runtime.State
-import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
+import androidx.compose.runtime.derivedStateOf
+import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
-import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalView
+import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalDensity
 
 enum class KeyboardState {
     Opened,
     Closed,
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether the soft keyboard is currently on screen, derived from [WindowInsets.ime].
+ *
+ * This intentionally reads the same animated IME inset that drives `Modifier.imePadding()`
+ * everywhere else in the app, so the two can never disagree. The previous implementation
+ * measured `View.getWindowVisibleDisplayFrame` from a `ViewTreeObserver` global-layout
+ * listener — a pre-edge-to-edge heuristic. Under `enableEdgeToEdge()`
+ * (`decorFitsSystemWindows = false`) the window content no longer resizes for the IME, so
+ * that listener fired when the keyboard appeared but frequently never fired again when it
+ * closed, latching the state at [Opened] even though the keyboard was gone (leaving the
+ * bottom navigation bar hidden and a stranded gap at the bottom). The IME inset always
+ * animates back to zero on the persistent root view, so this reading can't get stuck.
+ */
 @Composable
 fun keyboardAsState(): State<KeyboardState> {
-    val view = LocalView.current
-
-    val keyboardState = remember(view) { mutableStateOf(isKeyboardOpen(view)) }
-
-    DisposableEffect(view) {
-        val onGlobalListener =
-            ViewTreeObserver.OnGlobalLayoutListener {
-                val newKeyboardValue = isKeyboardOpen(view)
-
-                if (newKeyboardValue != keyboardState.value) {
-                    keyboardState.value = newKeyboardValue
-                }
-            }
-        view.viewTreeObserver.addOnGlobalLayoutListener(onGlobalListener)
-        onDispose { view.viewTreeObserver.removeOnGlobalLayoutListener(onGlobalListener) }
-    }
-
-    return keyboardState
-}
-
-fun isKeyboardOpen(view: View): KeyboardState {
-    val rect = Rect()
-    view.getWindowVisibleDisplayFrame(rect)
-    val screenHeight = view.rootView.height
-    val keypadHeight = screenHeight - rect.bottom
-
-    return if (keypadHeight > screenHeight * 0.15) {
-        KeyboardState.Opened
-    } else {
-        KeyboardState.Closed
+    val density = LocalDensity.current
+    val imeInsets = WindowInsets.ime
+    return remember(density, imeInsets) {
+        derivedStateOf {
+            if (imeInsets.getBottom(density) > 0) KeyboardState.Opened else KeyboardState.Closed
+        }
     }
 }
+
+/**
+ * A [BackHandler] that steps aside while the soft keyboard is on screen.
+ *
+ * Chat composers (and draft-saving editors) intercept back to flush a draft and pop the screen.
+ * When that pop happens while the keyboard is still up, it races the predictive-back window
+ * animation against the IME's close animation. On release builds — fast enough that the window
+ * animation wins — the IME [WindowInsetsAnimationCompat][androidx.core.view.WindowInsetsAnimationCompat]
+ * is cancelled before its terminal (zero) frame reaches Compose, so the shared `WindowInsets.ime`
+ * holder stays "animating" and every `Modifier.imePadding()` in the app freezes at the keyboard
+ * height until a later inset pass rebalances it (the "stuck IME padding" that survives leaving the
+ * screen).
+ *
+ * Gating on [keyboardAsState] fixes it: while the keyboard is visible we do NOT consume back, so the
+ * system dismisses the keyboard first with its own animation (which completes cleanly). The next
+ * back — keyboard already down — runs [onBack] as before. The top bar's back arrow stays an
+ * always-available exit, so this can never trap the user even if the inset reading were itself stale.
+ */
+@Composable
+fun KeyboardAwareBackHandler(
+    enabled: Boolean = true,
+    onBack: () -> Unit,
+) {
+    val keyboardState by keyboardAsState()
+    BackHandler(enabled = enabled && keyboardState == KeyboardState.Closed, onBack = onBack)
+}
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/minichat/MinichatScreen.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/minichat/MinichatScreen.kt
index 6f15e93574..8263fa2a2c 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/minichat/MinichatScreen.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/minichat/MinichatScreen.kt
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.height
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.imePadding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.LazyColumn
 import androidx.compose.foundation.lazy.items
@@ -174,7 +175,9 @@ fun MinichatScreen(
             )
         },
     ) { padding ->
-        Column(Modifier.fillMaxHeight().padding(padding)) {
+        // imePadding so the reply composer rides above the soft keyboard — the bare Material3
+        // Scaffold's content insets cover the system bars but not the IME.
+        Column(Modifier.fillMaxHeight().imePadding().padding(padding)) {
             // Every reply here is rooted at [rootNote], which is already pinned at the top — so
             // suppress the redundant reply-to-root preview each reply would otherwise render.
             CompositionLocalProvider(LocalSuppressReplyToNoteId provides rootId) {
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/NewGroupDMScreen.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/NewGroupDMScreen.kt
index d87f54987d..ce87e19328 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/NewGroupDMScreen.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/NewGroupDMScreen.kt
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.screen.loggedIn.chats.privateDM.send
 
 import android.net.Uri
-import androidx.activity.compose.BackHandler
 import androidx.compose.foundation.horizontalScroll
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement.Absolute.spacedBy
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
@@ -87,6 +86,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.TakePictureButton
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.TakeVideoButton
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.components.ThinPaddingTextField
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.components.ZoomableContentView
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.bottombars.KeyboardAwareBackHandler
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.navs.INav
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.navs.Nav
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.routes.routeToMessage
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ fun NewGroupDMScreen(
 
     WatchAndLoadMyEmojiList(accountViewModel)
 
-    BackHandler {
+    KeyboardAwareBackHandler {
         accountViewModel.launchSigner {
             postViewModel.sendDraftSync()
             postViewModel.cancel()
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/PrivateMessageEditFieldRow.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/PrivateMessageEditFieldRow.kt
index fc64efe0ab..390d718d9b 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/PrivateMessageEditFieldRow.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/send/PrivateMessageEditFieldRow.kt
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.screen.loggedIn.chats.privateDM.send
 
-import androidx.activity.compose.BackHandler
 import androidx.compose.foundation.background
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
@@ -60,6 +59,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.UrlUserTagOutputTransformation
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.SelectFromGallery
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.SelectedMedia
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.components.ThinPaddingTextField
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.bottombars.KeyboardAwareBackHandler
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.navs.EmptyNav
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.navs.INav
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.routes.routeFor
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ fun PrivateMessageEditFieldRow(
     onSendNewMessage: () -> Unit,
     nav: INav,
 ) {
-    BackHandler {
+    KeyboardAwareBackHandler {
         if (channelScreenModel.message.text.isNotBlank()) {
             accountViewModel.launchSigner {
                 channelScreenModel.sendDraftSync()
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/concord/ConcordChannelScreen.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/concord/ConcordChannelScreen.kt
index 160acdf42a..761bd36f17 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/concord/ConcordChannelScreen.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/concord/ConcordChannelScreen.kt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Spacer
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.imePadding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Api
@@ -185,7 +186,10 @@ fun ConcordChannelScreen(
             )
         },
     ) { padding ->
-        Column(Modifier.fillMaxHeight().padding(padding)) {
+        // imePadding so the composer rides above the soft keyboard. The bare Material3 Scaffold's
+        // content insets cover the system bars but not the IME, so without this the message field
+        // sat behind the keyboard while typing.
+        Column(Modifier.fillMaxHeight().imePadding().padding(padding)) {
             Column(Modifier.fillMaxHeight().weight(1f, true)) {
                 RefreshingChatroomFeedView(
                     feedContentState = feedViewModel.feedState,
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/send/EditFieldRow.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/send/EditFieldRow.kt
index 8176dc4d5b..f14cd1d59e 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/send/EditFieldRow.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/publicChannels/send/EditFieldRow.kt
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
  */
 package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.screen.loggedIn.chats.publicChannels.send
 
-import androidx.activity.compose.BackHandler
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
@@ -54,6 +53,7 @@ import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.UrlUserTagOutputTransformation
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.SelectFromGallery
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.actions.uploads.SelectedMedia
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.components.ThinPaddingTextField
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.bottombars.KeyboardAwareBackHandler
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.navigation.navs.INav
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.note.creators.userSuggestions.ShowUserSuggestionList
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.screen.loggedIn.AccountViewModel
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ fun EditFieldRow(
     onSendNewMessage: suspend () -> Unit,
     nav: INav,
 ) {
-    BackHandler {
+    KeyboardAwareBackHandler {
         accountViewModel.launchSigner {
             channelScreenModel.sendDraftSync()
             channelScreenModel.cancel()